Rutiodon
| Rutiodon Temporal range: Late Triassic |
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| Skeleton of Rutiodon carolinensis (AMNH 1) in the American Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Phytosauria |
| Family: | Phytosauridae |
| Genus: | †Rutiodon Emmons, 1856 |
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Rutiodon ("Wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 10 to 25 feet (3 to 8 meters) in length.[1] Rutiodon is known from the eastern United States (North Carolina, New York, New Jersey).[2]
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Description [edit]
Like other phytosaurs, Rutiodon strongly resembled a crocodile, but its nostrils were positioned far back on the head, close to the eyes, instead of at the tip of the snout. It had enlarged front teeth, and a relatively narrow jaw, somewhat resembling that of a modern gharial. This suggests that this carnivore probably caught fish and it may also have snatched land animals from the waterside.[1] Also, like modern crocodiles, its back, flanks, and tail were covered with bony armored plates.[3]
Species [edit]
The type species of Rutiodon is R. carolinensis. A second species, R. manhattanensis, was discovered in 1910 near Fort Lee, New Jersey, and named in reference to its close proximity to Manhattan.
In popular culture [edit]
Rutiodon is one of the best-known phytosaurs and appeared in the 2001 Discovery Channel documentary When Dinosaurs Roamed America, shown trying to attack a Coelophysis near the water's edge and missing. Rutiodon was also featured in episode 6 of Animal Armageddon.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
- ^ Michelle R. Stocker (2010). "A new taxon of phytosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (Norian) Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation) in Arizona, and a critical reevaluation of Leptosuchus Case, 1922". Palaeontology 53 (5): 997–1022. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00983.x.
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 95. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- Geological report of the midland counties of North Carolina by Ebenezer Emmons. New York, G.P. Putnam & Co.; Raleigh, H.D. Turner, 1856.
- http://www.paleodirect.com/phyto1.htm
- http://www.dinosaurcollector.150m.com/NewBlood.html
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